


I'll Be Home For Christmas

by redex_writes



Category: A Way Out (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Cute Kids, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Other, POV Alternating, i wrote this in like four days have mercy, literally so much fluff, minimum proofreading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:48:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28309263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redex_writes/pseuds/redex_writes
Summary: Vincent and Leo spend Christmas with family.+“A few years ago, before he and Leo got married, moments like this would’ve made VIncent feel like an outsider; like he was intruding somewhere he didn’t belong. But now, as Leo’s wedding band reflects the reds and greens of the Christmas lights from the houses around them, taking his hand while he tells Linda a story from back home feels natural; it feels right.”Note: This takes place in the same universe as my ficIn Our Bedroom After The War. You do not need to read that fic to understand this one, but there are a few things that might be helpful to know that I’ll put in the notes!
Relationships: Leo Caruso/Vincent Moretti
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	I'll Be Home For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Some things to note:
> 
> \- Carol is remarried to a man named Mike. He’s not a super prominent character, but he is included in this enough to show the family dynamic.
> 
> \- Linda and Carol both still live in California, and they’ve become good friends and bonded over their shared experiences. Alex and Julie are very close as well, often referred to as “cousins.”
> 
> \- Leo and Vincent faked their deaths, and are now living in an unspecified location. They are also married (as married as two male felons could be in the 70s, at least.) All of these facts are known by everyone involved.
> 
> Also, this fic has a bit of a different format than what I’m used to writing. It doesn’t really have a plot; I wanted to make it read like a walk-through of a Christmas Eve with this family, switching between Vincent and Leo’s points of view (the switches are indicated with a "+" sign.) If anyone is familiar with _The Haunting of Hill House_ , the idea I was going for is sort of like the episode shot in five takes with very few cuts.
> 
> Anyways, all that aside, I hope you enjoy!

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can--”

“Vincent, for the last time, I can do this myself.”

“It’s really no trouble--”

“Vincent Eric Caruso, get out of my kitchen this instant before I beat you with this spatula!”

Vincent holds his hands up in surrender, eyes crossing slightly to look at the utensil Carol’s threateningly pointing in his face.

“Alright, alright.”

“Thank you.” She smiles sweetly before turning back to the stove. Vincent scowls, but leaves the kitchen without further protest.

“I never should have told you my middle name,” he grumbles under his breath.

“We were _married!_ ” Carol calls from behind him.

Linda looks up at him from the table, lips pursed in amusement.

“What did you do this time?”

“I just wanted to know if I could help with anything!” He sits down with a huff. “I’m not completely useless.”

“Debatable.”

He narrows his eyes at Linda, but she just bats her eyes innocently.

“Why’s Vincent pouting now?” Leo asks as he appears in the doorway. Vincent groans as Linda laughs.

“Carol banned him from the kitchen and he’s feeling sorry for himself.”

“Smart woman.”

“Does everyone in this house think I’m incompetent?”

Leo chuckles, leaning over to kiss the top of his head. “Just at cooking.”

Before he can protest, Leo’s pulling him to his feet.

“Come on,” he says, “help us make decorations. Maybe you’ll find your hidden talent.”

“I hate you,” Vincent declares.

“Love you too, babe.”

The living room, which had been neat and festively decorated, has been completely transformed: sheets of paper cover almost every surface; giant bowls of popcorn sit in the corner, out of the way; and the comically large box of craft supplies the kids had hauled out sits in the middle of the room, contents overflowing everywhere. Vincent plops down on a relatively untouched area of the floor, only to immediately have a stack of paper shoved into his hands.

“Here,” Alex says, handing him a pair of safety scissors. “We’re making snowflakes!”

“Snowflakes, huh?” Vincent takes the papers, looking them over in mild confusion. “How do you do that?”

“It’s super easy.” Alex holds up his own ‘snowflake’ and shakes it excitedly. “You just have to fold it up and cut shapes into it, and when you unfold it, it’s a snowflake!”

“We’ve been at it for an hour,” Mike speaks up. He’s got Julie in his lap, trying to multitask cutting up paper and keeping his step-daughter from sticking her fingers anywhere sharp. “We’ve basically got a blizzard at this point.”

“We tried making popcorn strings earlier,” says Leo, nodding towards the bowls, “but it didn’t turn out too well.”

He holds up his hand to show Vincent the bandaids wrapped around several fingers. 

Alex nods solemnly, pointing at his own bandaged finger.

“It bled for ages and ages,” he says seriously. Leo rolls his eyes.

“It bled for ten seconds. You put the first bandaid on the wrong finger because you couldn’t find it.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“I actually used to make popcorn strings all the time when I was a kid.” Vincent reaches over to grab one of the bowls, retrieving a needle and string from the pile of craft supplies. “It’s not too hard once you get the hang of it.”

“As if…”

Leo’s smart remark trails off as he watches Vincent thread the needle and begin to expertly string the popcorn.

He looks up, trying--and failing--not to smirk.

“You were saying?”

Leo glowers at him, but his eyes twinkle with amusement and his frown quickly melts into a smile.

“Yeah, yeah. Show off.”

Vincent chuckles and reaches for another handful of popcorn.

“Daddy, can I try?”

Julie’s staring at the string of popcorn in awe. Vincent smiles, patting the floor beside him.

“Sure, princess. Just be really careful with the needle, okay? Don’t want you getting hurt.”

“But if you do,” Alex pipes up, holding up his hand again, “you can have a cool Charlie Brown bandaid!”

“Let’s not give her a incentive,” Mike says quickly. Vincent laughs.

Julie picks up on the activity surprisingly easily and, with Vincent’s help and careful observation, she manages to get an even string long enough to hang. Vincent lifts her up so she can place it on the taller branches of the tree, where it’s quickly joined by some of the snowflakes that Alex insists Leo place there as well.

+

Leo steps back from the tree once he’s done, watching with a small smile as Vincent lifts Julie on his shoulders to place more snowflakes. They don’t get to see the kids as often as they’d like, but when they do, it’s always like they never left at all.

Someone taps his shoulder, and he turns to see Linda holding out a glass of wine. He takes it and raises it to hers before taking a sip, following her gaze as she observes the scene before them--Alex hovering by a tree with an armful of snowflakes at the ready; Julie excitedly hitting her little hands on Vincent’s head while she yells about her popcorn string; Vincent doing his best to pay them both equal attention, while also desperately trying not to trip over Mike as he tidies up their mess. The radio plays Christmas carols in the background, barely audible over the general ruckus.

“They were both so excited when we told them you were coming,” Linda said, catching Leo’s attention. She’s smiling fondly, fingers playing with the stem of her wine glass. He raises his eyebrows.

“Yeah?”

“Of course.” She bumps her shoulder against his. “Having his dads here for the holidays is one of the only things Alex wanted this Christmas.”

Leo’s heart does a happy little twist at the words.

“What were the other ones?” he asks, trying to hide his giddiness.

Linda chuckles into her glass. “A white Christmas and a skateboard.”

Leo laughs.

“Well, you can only get one of those things in California, so I hope he likes the helmet Vincent picked out.”

“If he’s anything like you, that helmet’s going to collect dust faster than your fashion sense.”

She gestures at his sweater with a smirk, giggling when he elbows her side.

“Hey, it wasn’t my idea! God knows how it wound up in my suitcase; I could’ve sworn I buried it in the backyard when Vincent brought these things home.”

“Aw, I don’t know. It kind of suits you.” Linda flicks one of the little bells adorning his hideous Christmas sweater, and he swats her hands away with a scowl.

“How dare you?”

A clatter and a yelp from the kitchen halts all conversation, drawing everyone’s attention. Leo and Linda, being the closest, make it there first.

Carol’s running her hand under water at the sink, a pained grimace on her face. The oven door is open and a casserole dish is upturned on the floor, surrounded by its spilled contents.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Carol says quickly, waving her free hand at them. “My hand slipped on the potholder is all. Just a little burn, it happens.”

Linda examines the burn as Leo closes the oven door and sets about cleaning the mess.

“Is everything okay?” Mike asks, breezing past both of them to get to Carol.

“Just a little burn,” she repeats. Her eyes are slightly teary, but other than that, she seems unfazed. “Nothing some ice and a bandaid won’t fix. I’m more worried about the casserole.”

She cranes her head to look down at Leo kneeling next to the dish. He grimaces up at her.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Great,” Carol sighs. Mike shakes his head, grabbing some peas from the freezer and directing Linda to the bathroom to grab some bandages.

“Honey, a spilled casserole is no big deal compared to a burn.”

“It’s a family recipe,” Carol argues, though she lets her husband hold the bag of peas to her hand. “I make it every year, and I wanted to make it for our first Christmas Eve with the whole family.”

“There’ll be other years.”

“Yeah,” Leo pipes up, holding the casserole dish with most of the mess scooped back into it. “Really, it’s fine.”

Carol just shrugs half-heartedly.

Linda reappears with a roll of bandages, switching them with the peas Mike’s holding so he can wrap Carol’s hand. As Leo steps out of the way of the freezer to let her put them away, his eyes fall on the notebook propped up on the counter.

“Is that the recipe?” 

Carol looks over. 

“Yeah,” she confirms, wincing a little as Mike tends to her hand. “It was my grandmother’s.”

He squints a little, reading over the narrow handwriting. 

“It looks pretty straightforward.” He glances back at her. “Do you have enough ingredients for a second batch?”

Carol blinks, then shakes her head. “Oh no, Leo you don’t have to--”

He holds up his hand with a smile. “I know I don’t, but I want to. It probably won’t be as good as yours, but I can give it a shot.”

She hesitates for a moment before nodding slowly. “Well...okay. If you’re sure.”

“Sure I’m sure!” He claps his hands together. “Let’s get this bad boy a’cooking!”

Linda rolls her eyes at the same time that Mike snorts. He ignores both of them, shooing everyone out.

“Away with all of you. The master needs space to work.”

“Don’t you dare mess up my kitchen, Caruso,” Carol warns as Mike leads her out. He raises his hands.

“You have my word.”

+

Vincent meets them in the dining room, having managed to disentangle himself from the kids for long enough to check in.

“What happened? Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine,” Carol assures him. “I just had a little spill, but it’s all patched up.”

“Where’s Leo?”

“He offered to remake the dish.” She looks suddenly nervous, and Linda pats her on the shoulder with a laugh.

“Don’t worry, your casserole is in good hands. He’s kind of a natural in the kitchen.”

“I can confirm,” Vincent adds. “He’s definitely the cook of the two of us.”

Carol looks at him with a raised eyebrow. “He’d better be; your cooking is atrocious.”

He throws his hands up in resignation as the other three laugh.

“Well,” Carol says once the laughter dies down, “that dish doesn’t take too long to make; it’ll probably be done in about twenty minutes. Shall we start setting the table?”

Movement from the corner of his eye draws Vincent’s attention to the doorway. He catches a glimpse of mismatched socks and blonde curls as they disappear back into the living room, followed by giggling and hurried shushes. He looks back at the others, who seem to have gotten the same idea.

“Alex? Julie?”

There’s a long pause before Alex’s voice calls out from the living room.

“Yeah?”

“Can you two please help set the table?” Carol asks. Alex groans loudly, but he walks into the dining room with Julie in tow.

“Do we have to?”

“Do we have to?” Julie echoes, holding Alex’s sleeve. Vincent has to work to suppress a smile.

“Yes. It will go faster with the six of us together,” Carol says firmly.

Alex pouts, but Vincent can tell that it’s more show than anything--especially when Mike gives him the very adult responsibility of deciding which placemats to use. He sits on the floor in front of the stacks of different patterns for the better part of five minutes, looking between them with a frown of concentration, before Linda points out that he can mix and match. It takes him another few minutes to decide who should get what placemat, but soon the table is set and Alex is directing everyone where to sit.

“Uncle Mike, you’re gonna sit up here,” he instructs, pulling Mike to the head of the table, “and then Auntie Carol’s gonna sit here--”

“Okay, here--ah, Alex watch out!”

Carol lifts the massive plate of turkey above Alex’s head and quickly spins out of the way as he nearly stumbles into her. Vincent hurries to help her set the plate in the centre of the table, and Alex gives her a guilty look as he backs up out of the way.

“Sorry,” he mumbles sheepishly. Linda pulls him back to where she’s sitting, letting him settle partly on her lap to avoid any collisions. Carol ruffles his hair.

“It’s alright, honey. Your dad’s going to be done with the casserole soon--how about you go sit down and help Julie put on her bib?”

Being given a task perks him up, and he skips off with a nod. Vincent looks over at her, impressed.

She gives him a small smile. “Linda taught me that trick.”

“He likes feeling responsible,” Linda explains. “Giving him little things to do helps his self-esteem.”

“Huh.” He looks over to where Alex is happily chatting to Mike and Julie, slip-up apparently forgotten.

+

“Coming through!”

Leo carries the casserole dish to the table, hands safely decked out in Carol’s flowery oven mitts. Carol leans over it as he sets it down, sniffing.

“It smells good,” she remarks. “Just like my grandma’s.”

He grins and shrugs, looking a little embarrassed. 

“I hope it tastes the way it’s supposed to. I followed the recipe exactly, so it should be alright.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great.”

The rest of the dishes are brought out, filling the table. Carol pours grape juice in wine glasses for the kids, which Alex is clearly over the moon about, and Leo is sure to grab a stack of napkins for Julie before they start to eat.

“Alex, you can’t just have mashed potatoes.”

“Aw, why not?”

“Because it’s not good for you. Leo, tell him.”

“Your mom’s right, bud,” Leo says. “You gotta get some vegetables in you, too.”

“ _You_ don’t have any vegetables.”

“Because I’m an adult.”

“Allegedly,” says Vincent, innocently taking a sip of his wine. Leo narrows his eyes at him.

“Both of you are useless,” Linda complains. “Alex, I hardly gave you any vegetables. Just eat the ones on your plate, then you can have dessert.”

The promise of dessert has Alex clearing his plate in record time. Julie stops playing with the peas on her plate and starts shovelling them into her mouth as soon as she sees Alex eating his.

“I've got the dishes,” Mike announces. Carol starts to get up, but he shakes his head.

“You've done enough. Plus, you shouldn't get your hand wet right now.”

She huffs, but Leo sees the smile she tries to hide in her wine glass.

Vincent gets up to help with the dishes as well, and Linda goes to put on a pot of tea and retrieve the dessert from the kitchen.

Leo raises an eyebrow when she reappears with a comically large tray of cookies.

“Whoa.”

“I may have gone a bit overboard,” Carol says sheepishly.

Alex’s eyes light up, and he reaches for a cookie before stopping and glancing around the table.

Linda laughs. “Go ahead.”

He grins and grabs two cookies before scampering away into the living room, Julie following close behind. 

They all retreat to the living room with their cookies and tea, Mike and Vincent joining them soon after. Vincent grabs one of Leo's cookies, ignoring his affronted noise, and leans against him on the couch.

+

“--paperwork like you wouldn't believe,” Linda’s saying. “I definitely didn't think that part through.”

“Hey,” Leo says, “once it takes off, you can just hire someone to do that stuff for you.”

She snorts. “I've got a long way to go before that.”

“Are you talking about the shop?”

Linda nods. “I knew that starting a business would be tough, but if I have to sign one more document in the next two weeks I'm going to go insane.”

“It's great that you're doing something you love,” says Vincent. “And you're good at it, too. I really think it'll take off.”

Linda beams.

The conversation turns to other topics and Vincent lets it carry on without him, the turkey and tea and cozy atmosphere settling over him like a blanket. He rests his head on Leo's shoulder, smiling a little when Leo turns to kiss the top of his head.

The cookies are nearly gone when the couch dips beside Vincent and he feels Julie crawl into his lap. He looks down at her, cheek smushed against his chest and little arms wrapped around his neck.

“Is it someone’s bedtime?” He asks, brushing a few stray curls out of her face. She mumbles something incoherent, drooling over his shirt.

“I told her she could stay up past her bedtime since you two got here today,” says Carol. “Guess all the excitement really tuckered her out.”

She tries to lift Julie from Vincent's lap, but she frowns and whines in protest, tightening her arms around his neck. Vincent and Carol exchange surprised looks.

“Do you want daddy to put you to bed?” He asks. She nods, eyes closed.

“Well, alright then.” Carol smiles at him, looking pleased. “Her toothbrush and toothpaste are in the cup in the bathroom, and her pyjamas are in the bottom drawer of her closet. If you need anything, just yell.”

Julie clings to him the whole time, even while he clumsily brushes her teeth. He manages to get her into a pair of mismatched pyjamas and tucked into bed, adjusting her stuffed animals around her and kissing her forehead goodnight.

Carol looks up when he renters the living room, holding some of the empty teacups to take to the kitchen. 

“How'd it go?”

“It went well. I think she was asleep before I finished tucking her in.”

She smiles, eyes soft with affection.

“I'm so glad,” she whispers.

“Hey, Vince?” Linda pokes her head in from the dining room. “We're gonna head home so Alex can go to bed. You ready?”

“Sure am. Just let me grab my coat.”

She nods and disappears.

He hugs Carol once, tight. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” she echoes. “Sleep well.”

He grabs his jacket from where it'd been sitting on the couch, waves goodbye to Mike, and joins Linda, Leo and Alex outside.

Linda’s house is close enough to be a short walk, and the night air is cool but pleasant. Alex, who's grown considerably more mellow as the night goes on, is walking between his parents, holding one of each of their hands. 

A few years ago, before he and Leo got married, moments like this would’ve made VIncent feel like an outsider; like he was intruding somewhere he didn’t belong. But now, as Leo’s wedding band reflects the reds and greens of the Christmas lights from the houses around them, taking his hand while he tells Linda a story from back home feels natural; it feels right.

Leo looks over at him, and his eyes catch the Christmas lights the same as his ring, and Vincent can’t help but press a soft kiss to his knuckles. He can see Leo flush even in the dim light, but he’s smiling brightly as he squeezes Vincent’s hand.

The late hour and the business of the evening have taken their toll on Alex, and when they get back to Linda’s house and she tells him to get ready for bed, he shambles off to his room without complaint. She raids the hall closet for pillows and blankets, and Leo and Vincent head to the small office where they’re sleeping.

In the years since escaping Harvey’s influence, Linda’s done well enough for herself to afford a small two-bedroom house. The office, typically used for paperwork and things related to her mechanics business, has been made up into a temporary guest room for Vincent and Leo’s stay.

“I know it’s a bit cramped,” she says apologetically behind an armful of blankets, “but the sofa bed is surprisingly comfy, and Mike and Carol don’t have an extra bed--”

“Linda, it’s fine,” Vincent assures her for the third time since they got off the plane that morning. “It’s perfect.”

She gives him a grateful smile.

They’ve just got the sofa bed set up and the blankets on when Alex appears in the doorway, dressed in pyjamas and rubbing his eyes sleepily.

“Wanted t’ say g’night,” he murmurs, sounding half-asleep where he stands. Linda laughs quietly, pushing his bangs back and kissing his forehead.

“Goodnight honey. Sweet dreams.”

“Night, Alex. Don’t wait up for Santa, okay?” Leo teases. Alex yawns, the joke seemingly lost on him.

“Night, daddy,” he mumbles, giving Leo a clumsy hug. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he turns and wraps his arms around Vincent.

“G’night, dad.”

Vincent’s eyes widen, and he looks up to see similar expressions on Linda and Leo’s faces. His heart swells, and he can feel the beginnings of tears burning the back of his eyes.

“Night, kiddo,” he manages, hugging back and ruffling his hair. “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

As Alex drifts down the hall to his bedroom, the room is silent with shock. Then Leo’s face splits into a wide grin, and he pulls Vincent into a hug.

“Well, you heard the kid: you’re officially one of Alex’s dads.”

Vincent laughs, hugging Leo back and swiping his knuckles over his wet eyes.

“Congratulations,” Linda says, patting him on the shoulder with a smile. He beams at her.

“Thank you.”

“I’m gonna head to bed now,” she says. “Sleep well, you two.”

She hugs them both goodnight and waves before leaving, gently closing the door behind her.

Leo’s still grinning, and he drapes his arms around Vincent’s shoulders and rests his forehead against his.

“I love you,” he murmurs.

Vincent smiles, tilting his head up to kiss the bridge of his nose. “I love you too.”

They get ready for bed, and Vincent crawls under the covers as Leo turns the lights off. He opens his arms as Leo climbs into bed, and Leo chuckles quietly and slides an arm around his waist, pulling him close.

“Merry Christmas,” he says softly. Vincent raises an eyebrow.

“It’s not Christmas yet.”

“Are you seriously choosing right now to be picky about my word choice?”

He laughs quietly into the space between them. Using two fingers to tilt Leo’s chin up, he meets his gaze with a smile.

“Merry Christmas.”

Their lips meet in a soft kiss. Leo trails his lips lightly up Vincent’s jaw when they part, and Vincent can feel the smile against his skin.

“I’m so glad we came home.”

His voice is soft, and his arms are warm. Vincent swallows past the sudden lump in his throat at the wave of love and emotion that washes over him.

“Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write something for Christmas, and I know all too well that it can be a really hard time of year for many people in regards to family. So, I decided to make this little piece to maybe make the holidays a bit brighter for some people. It’s literally all plotless fluff, but sometimes we all need something like that to lighten the load. Merry Christmas if you celebrate, and happy holidays if you don’t! I hope you have a good holiday season, even if it’s just little things that bring you joy. <3
> 
> Edit: I forgot to link my [tumblr](https://redex-writes.tumblr.com/) when I posted this ^^' I post fic updates, links to new works/chapters, and oneshot requests that I don't post to AO3 (and general assorted nonsense from time to time.) Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a good day!


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